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Welcome Design*Sponge and Lonny Magazine readers!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

I had a very lovely surprise today while perusing one of my all-time favorite design blogs Design*Sponge.  Over the summer, Grace Bonney, bloggetrix extraordinaire, was in the shop and bought a vintage red ceramic horse head lamp.  It was one of my favorite vintage finds and I was so thrilled so have someone who’s work and home I admire so much take it home with her.

This is why it was an extra thrill to see her post about a new online shelter magazine, Lonny, and some shots from the feature they did on her Brooklyn apartment in their premier issue.  And, even better, a gorgeous shot featuring Mr. Red Horse Lamp himself in a place of honor next to the sofa!

I haven’t had a chance to pour over all of the loveliness that Lonny has to offer, but I will say that so far, it looks like it may just fill the hole in my heart that was left when Domino was closed.  The photo above is on page 130 and a feature of the online magazine format that I’m loving is the roll-over for resource info feature.  Kind of like rolling over a photo in Flickr and seeing comments people have made.  Rolling over the lamp in the photo pops up a link to my site, and if that’s how you found me, Hi there!!  I’m thrilled you popped over to see what my little shop is all about!

I’m in the process of putting together a full ecommerce site, but in the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, you can email me at stilllifemercantile at gmail.com.

Now, back to virtually flipping through Lonny for a few minutes before picking up Indian take out for dinner, yum!

photo via design*sponge

Filed in Design Tidbits, Vintage | Comments (1)

“a reservoir of ideas and feelings…”

Monday, August 31, 2009

I’m in the planning stages of some major styling changes in my living and store environments.  The store is getting a mini-makeover in the next few weeks.  Nothing that involves hiring a contractor or anything, but some additional display areas and a few decorative/installation ideas that I’m playing around with.  The “bones” of the store are all there, now its time to start styling her up a little bit.

As far as my home environment goes, we’ve been mid-kitchen renovation for pretty much the entire summer so a major goal is to get the finishing touches on that.  I’ve decided that its also time to shake things up a bit.  We’ve had pretty much the same furniture/layout/color scheme going on since we bought our house 7 years ago and while I love certain elements, its definitely time for some updating.  New changes, new energy, new ideas.

SO, with all those thoughts and ideas floating around in my head, not to mention the tear sheets I pull for inspiration and little trial layouts and sketches I jot down furiously in a fit of inspiration, I need a place to put them all.  My Moleskine notebooks that I’ve been keeping in my bag for the last year or so have been my favorite in an endless string of journals and notebooks I’ve kept for who knows how long.  I started selling Moleskine’s in the store when I opened in the new location.  I love how happy it makes fellow Moleskine users when they see the little selection of them in the store.  A new journal of any kind holds with it the promise of endless possibilities, but a new Moleskine is somehow a little extra magical.

The hardcover style have a pocket in the back for stashing little bits of ephemera (I also use the pocket to stash business cards which at trade shows is a life-saver), a bookmark ribbon and an elastic strap to keep everything contained.  I also have the softcover version which come 2 to a pack and in those lovely pinks and blues and greens you see in that picture right up there.

This line from the insert that comes in every Moleskine and tells the story of the notebook’s place in the creative make up of society as well as the history of its manufacture for the past two centuries really summed up the sentiment nicely:

“To capture reality on the move, pin down details, impress upon paper unique aspects of experience: Moleskine is a reservoir of ideas and feelings, a battery that stores discoveries and perceptions, and whose energy can be tapped over time.”

Well said, little black notebook makers, well said.

And don’t even get me started on the calendars they make (I’ve got some pretty awesome 2010 ones in the store as well).

Filed in Artists/Designers, New Merchandise, Store Happenings | Comments (2)

Not making any promises…

Sunday, August 30, 2009

but I am making a personal commitment to return to blogging and toward the goal of having a full ecommerce site for the store rolling in the next 6-8 weeks.  This first 4 (almost 5!) months in the new location have been amazing and have only helped to reinforce the goals and plans I have for this venture of mine.  The feedback has been incredible, and though constructive criticism can sometimes be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow (I know, I’m working on getting more merchandise in the store, I have a long term plan going on here!) I’m grateful for all of the comments and compliments.

I’ve been spending these last few months really focusing on the physical presence of the store.  And while its not exactly where I envision it, it is getting closer and closer.  This focus has meant that the online presence, whether it just be this little bloggy thing or a full-blown ecommerce site, has taken a backseat.  It also means that I have not been making as much jewelry as I had been, which quite frankly, was the catalyst for opening this retail venture to begin with.   What I have done is made some amazing connections with people on a face-to-face level and have really gotten a sense of what works and what doesn’t work quite as well in the brick and mortar environment.

Now that the business has been open for a full year (between the two locations) I feel like I can move into the next phase of things.  I’ve found my stride, I see how to keep this business financially sound while still staying true to my vision and now I’m willing and able to push forward.  This means being able to remerchandise the store in a way that will more wholly reflect the environment I’m looking to create.  While I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve created so far, I have a vision of how much more amazing it can be.

Some really incredible opportunities have presented themselves in the last few weeks and I hope to follow through with them and in turn benefit the store and its physical and online presence (which is coming, I SWEAR!).

So, I guess what I’m trying to say in way too many words is, stay tuned, please keep checking back and if you’ve been into the store and were hoping to find a full scale ecommerce site where you can buy all the amazing things I’ve curated from far and wide, please email me at info AT stilllifemercantile dot com and ask to be put on the mailing list so I can update you when the awesomeness happens.

Thank you…and good night. xoxo

Filed in New Merchandise, Store Happenings, Technical Difficulties | Comments (2)

GRAND OPENING PARTY!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I hope you can all make it this Saturday for the “official” grand opening party in the new location at 3 Mill Hill Road in Woodstock (MAP HERE).

From 4-8pm this Saturday 4/4 there will be cupcakes by local baking company Tess Cake and champagne will be flowing AND there will be 10% off storewide (and keep in mind, there are still some clothing styles on sale that have moved up from the 40 Mill Hill Road location, those will be an ADDITIONAL 10% off!).

For anyone familiar with Woodstock, its the former Tails location and just at the top of the hill near the village green. Parking is in the municipal lot off of Rock City Road.

Bring your friends, and spread the word! I’m looking forward to a fun evening to show off the new digs and meet and mingle with all of you amazingly awesome people!!!

And please email me at stilllifemercantile@gmail.com with any questions or for directions!

Oh, and the store will be open at 11am on Saturday, but the cupcakes and champagne won’t arrive until 4pm, so plan accordingly :-)

Filed in Gavin&Lily handmade jewelry, Store Happenings | Comments (3)

Now Open at 3 Mill Hill Road

Thursday, March 26, 2009

That’s right folks, the new location is open for business.  I’m going to let the photos speak for themselves right now.  We’re still in soft opening mode, but the official grand opening is planned for April 4th, with details to come…

clothing, pillows, center table

looking in from the front

left hand display wall

display window

Right Brain Terrain posters and Suddenly Its Real Mustache key rack

fitting rooms, clothing and center table

back wall and fitting rooms

Filed in New Merchandise, Store Happenings | Comments (4)

A momentous occasion

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
via Chronogram, via Nervous System

via Chronogram, via Nervous System

Still Life Mercantile has received its first tag in a magazine!  Now this might not sound like much, but being in this retail circus for quite some time, this is a very big deal to me!

HERE is the article online, the print version is by far more beautiful, but nevertheless, any way you read it, its an awesome feature of an awesome line by two awesome people in an awesome magazine and I’m incredibly grateful to have the store mentioned.

Filed in Artists/Designers, Design Tidbits, Store Happenings | Comments (1)

A sneak peek…

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

So I know I’ve been silent for some time now about the big store news.  The process has taken a bit longer than planned (what doesn’t?) but we’re getting close now and there’s actually something to show for the work, so here it is…

Still Life Mercantile is MOVING!!  I’m moving up the street to 3 Mill Hill Road which if you are familiar with Woodstock is the Longyear Building and one of, if not THE best, retail locations in town.   I am extremely excited and eternally grateful to the people that helped me to secure the lease on the location.  The goal for the business has always been for it to be a long-term venture in the heart of the town that my family and I have adopted as our home and this move is a huge step toward seeing that goal become a reality.

Before going any further, here are a few before and after photos of the space so far:

Before

Before

After

After

Its hard to fully express from photos how much work has gone into making this space into even the beginnings of what I envision for it in the future.  The rest of the photos of the before and after (note, the before photos are post my construction additions of the new fitting rooms and taking down the mirrors that sat above the now turquoise wall and the spackling of the walls) can be seen in the store’s flickr set HERE (they’re at the end of the set).  I was blessed with some beautiful built-in fixtures that just needed a few coats of paint to bring them back to their original beauty and for that I am grateful.  But there is at least 40-50 hours of painting time put into the space in addition to my amazing contractor’s work to integrate the fitting rooms and add the beautiful crown molding to the back wall to tie it in with the fixtures.

The grand opening is imminent.  I can’t give an exact date at this moment, but I will be back to posting regularly here and on my personal facebook with updates and I absolutely hope and encourage anyone local to please do come to the opening party. I think a little celebration of good things to come is in order in this bleak (but with a glimmer of hope) economic climate.

Filed in Store Happenings | Comments (0)

Change is coming

Sunday, January 18, 2009

In more ways than one.  Of course I’m completely excited about Tuesday’s inaugeral events and pretty much plan to stay glued to the tv with a bottle of Proseco on hand and hopefully some friends stopping by throughout the day to celebrate as well.

On a store related note, Still Life Mercantile has been nothing if not an exercise in change and adaptation.  That being said, stay tuned for some very exciting news about the store.  Unlike most of the news coming from independent retailers these days, the store is NOT closing, NOT going online only and NOT drastically reducing the assortment of merchandise.  What it IS doing is moving up to a level that was always the long term plan for the store, but one that I hadn’t thought possible for at least a few years.

More news to come, I don’t want to reveal too much or make any major announcements until a few more things are set, but I just wanted to share some positive news in the current environment of carnage that seems to exist in the retail world.

And once again, a whole boatload of work is ahead of me in the coming weeks, wish me luck!

Filed in Our New President, Store Happenings | Comments (2)

Help save small businesses

Thursday, January 15, 2009

SUPER EXCITING UPDATE: The votes have been tallied and the issue of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act has made the top 10 issues that will presented to Obama in the coming weeks. To view the full list of winning issues to be discussed, go HERE. I have to say, I’m quite impressed by the list of issues and pretty much can get behind all of them. So hooray to everyone who votes and here’s to hoping some change is coming!

You may have noticed a little banner over to the right there with an adorable little bear on it. Congress has passed a law called the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act which, to put it bluntly, will put hundreds, if not thousands of small business owners out of business. It requires all products intended for children to undergo testing that would cost in the area of $4000 per product. This would mean that all those cute screen printed t-shirts you’ve bought from your kids at Renegade Craft Fair or that amazing handmade stuffed owl that I bought for Lily at Craftacular would essentially be illegal to sell. And not only will it put the makers out of business, but the retailers who sell them will lose untold sales revenue.

The law is set to go into effect in February but there is a movement to stop it or at least to amend it. And honestly, in this economy, is it smart to put what is essentially part of the last bastion of the US manufacturing base out of business??? Are we going to be relegated to buying clothing and toys for our kids only from large retailers and large manufacturers that can afford the testing?

Please, please go to THIS SITE and vote to have this issue presented to President-elect Obama after he’s sworn in. I can’t stress enough the damage that this law will do to stores like mine and the scores of wonderful people I have met in the craft scene who make beautiful well-made kids items with the utmost love and care.

UPDATE: the link to vote to have the issue presented to Obama seems to be down at the moment, in the meantime, click on the cute little bear up there at the top of the post to go to a site that has a wealth of information about the law and what you can do.

SUPER SPECIAL NEW IMPORTANT UPDATE: The link to change.org seems to be working now (that’s the one that says THIS SITE above and I just found out that 5pm EST today, Jan 15th is the deadline to vote on the issue. So please please, go, vote, right now.

Filed in Craft Shows, Our New President, Save Handmade | Comments (1)

Happy New Year!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

I’m out of town for a much needed vacation week.  My sister is holding down the fort at the store, be nice to her!  I’ll be back on the 10th, but in the meantime, the store will be open 11-6 Sat, Sun, Mon, Thurs, Fri, while I’m away so give a call to 845-679-5172 for any pressing issues and she’ll take care of things.  Otherwise, enjoy the New Year!

xo, Sarah

Filed in Store Happenings | Comments (2)
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